Expression of SATB2, CK20 and MUC2 in Colorectal Cancer and Its Clinical Significance

doi:10.3870/j.issn.1672-8009.2026.05.008

Abstract

Abstract: Objective To investigate the clinical significance of the expression of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 （SATB2）, cytokeratin 20 （CK20）, and mucin 2 （MUC2） in colorectal cancer （CRC） tissues and their value in prognostic evaluation. Methods A total of 330 CRC patients who underwent radical resection at Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from March 2020 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. After excluding 15 patients lost to follow-up, 315 patients were included in the survival analysis. CRC tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues were collected. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of the three proteins, and patients were grouped accordingly. The relationships between protein expression and clinicopathological features were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression models were used to evaluate prognostic factors. Results The positive expression rates of SATB2 and MUC2 in CRC tissues were lower than those in adjacent tissues, while CK20 expression was higher （P<0.05）. Patients with tumor diameter <4 cm, TNM stage Ⅰ~Ⅱ, and no lymph node metastasis showed higher positive rates of SATB2 and MUC2 and lower CK20 positivity （all P<0.05）. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that tumor diameter ≥4 cm, TNM stage III-IV, lymph node metastasis, and CK20 positivity were risk factors for poor prognosis, whereas SATB2 and MUC2 positivity was protective factors （all P<0.05）. Survival analysis showed that patients positive for SATB2 and MUC2 had lower 3-year mortality, while those positive for CK20 had higher mortality （P<0.05）. Conclusion The down-regulation of SATB2 and MUC2 expression in CRC tissue is closely related to tumor progression, and their positive expression suggests a better prognosis. The positive expression of CK20 may be related to poor prognosis. The expression status of SATB2, CK20 and MUC2 can be used as potential supplementary markers to judge the prognosis risk of CRC patients.

Key words: colorectal cancer, SATB2 binding protein, cytokeratin 20, mucin 2, prognosis, survival analysis

CLC Number:

R735.3

YANG Yi, ZHANG Shiwei. Expression of SATB2, CK20 and MUC2 in Colorectal Cancer and Its Clinical Significance[J]. Journal of Medical Molecular Biology, 2026, 23(5): 541-548.

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